The Instant Expert: Plastics, Processing and Properties provides cleardescriptions of the wide range of plastic materials, and explanations of thebasic shaping and finishing processes. The author also talks about materialsproperties and testing, and provides some simple examples of why particularplastics are used in common or more challenging applications. Commonabbreviations are explained.Readable from cover-to-cover, or easily referred to when questions arise,this book will be indispensible.

Plastics - they are everywhere." The first sentence of this book hints atthe problem it seeks to address. The shear diversity of plastics materialshas led to their use in products as varied as disposable packaging,life-saving medical devices, giant wind-turbine blades and tiny electroniccomponents. Their prices and properties vary as widely, and they can bemoulded, extruded, blown, formed, and shaped in many other ways.Traditionally made from petrochemicals, designers can now also choose from arange of natural materials. Performance will depend on chemicalconstitution, but also on the selection of processing aids and propertymodifiers which can be added to the basic material.